2007.158

Cylindrical and silver container used as a veil weight, also known as a korkoro, decorated with geometrical patterns made through the repoussé technique. There are vaulted sealing caps on either side (which cannot be removed). There are two rings attached to the bottom of the cylinder, through which the turban cloth is threaded. It is supposed to contain Koranic verses written on paper by a marabout, a muslim scholar and teacher (North and West Africa), although some say that it is often empty. The Korkoro is a decorative amulet worn by Tuareg men (and some Peul / Wodaabe men) on the side of their turban.

The amulet was collected by Ursel Widemann who was carrying out fieldwork in Agadez (Niger) for her doctoral thesis on Tuareg clothing and identity. From December 2005 until January 2006, Widemann collected artifacts for the Horniman in Agadez, as the museum's agent. These artifacts formed the focus of the Horniman exhibition 'Tuareg: people of the veil' (March 2010-February 2011), for which she was project curator.